Anthony Bergamini
The debate happens every year: Is Die Hard a Christmas movie? Many argue no, it does nothing to capture the spirit of the holiday and instead just happens to take place around Christmas time. Others argue yes, John McClain is delivering gifts this year, those gifts being swift justice as the late Alan Rickman falls in slow motion out of a window. But come on guys, we are comic book fans, let’s not argue over the nuance of what is or is not a Christmas movie. Let’s instead talk about Marvel’s MCU Christmas movie! That’s right, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Spec…oh wait, sorry, not that one… Iron Man 3!
Just like the classic Christmas song goes, “Oh what fun it is to ride in a one horse open… Iron Man Suit!!!” Cue the Black Sabbath and throw on those Santa hats! Iron Man 3 is probably one of the most interesting MCU films. It somehow is universally loathed and loved at the same time. But more importantly, the film takes place during Christmas time and was released in theaters in May. Talk about excellent planning! Not quite Christmas in July but audiences will get the point…right?
The film opens post The Avengers, one of the most successful films of all time, which saw the titular team form after several origin stories set up each of the core members. So realistically, this film would deal with the fallout of such a climactic event, showcasing how Iron Man now functions in a world where he is part of a superhero team. Logically, Iron Man 3 would set up a new status quo for the character that sees him struggle to balance his regular heroic deeds with the life of being a team player, all while maintaining his personal relationships and business…
What Iron Man 3 really is about is how Tony Stark, as a person, deals with the fallout from his prior adventures. Yes, after the climactic events of The Avengers, Iron Man 3 is a deeply personal narrative that deals with concepts like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. For a lot of fans, this threw them for a loop. The film did great in the box office, but over the years, people have looked at it with disdain, calling it an anticlimactic follow-up, loathing the fact that much of the movie shows Tony outside of his Iron Man suit. But, is Iron Man 3 really one of the best films in the MCU?
“You start with something pure, something exciting. Then come the mistakes. The compromises. We create our own demons.” This is the quote from the film that really summarizes the journey that Tony goes on. The film opens up with a flashback to New Years Eve, prior to Tony becoming Iron Man. What ensues is a classic interpretation of the character, where his selfishness, lack of empathy, and horndog mindset lead to the dreams of Aldrich Killian being crushed as Tony seeks out the company of his new lady friend. The film then transitions to modern day, where Tony is doing the other classic Iron Man move, building a new suit. This new suit can break into multiple pieces and form onto his body without the need of an elaborate briefcase or other means. Here, the film reveals that Tony has been hard at work on dozens of new suits while he struggles to sleep.
This is where the theme of the movie initially kicks in. Remember that quote? Well, on a smaller scale, Tony built the Iron Man suit and used it for good. Eventually this led to him joining a superhero team and flying into space to save New York. He started with a pure and exciting idea, which then led to him working outside of his comfort zone, creating his own demons in the form of PTSD. As the film goes on this PTSD is explored further, such as in an interaction with Rhodes in a bar where a kid asking for an autograph throws Tony into a panic attack, or the bad dream he has which causes his new Iron Man suit to show up in his bedroom, freaking out his girlfriend, Pepper Pots.
As the plot of the film ramps up, it is revealed that a new villain in the world, The Mandarin, is causing panic and killing many people in an endeavor to prove his might. This gives Tony yet another battle to fight as Happy Hogan gets caught in one of the bombings, ending up in the hospital. This series of events leads to one of the most dramatic parts of the film, where The Mandarin attack’s Tony’s home, destroying it, and launching him away in his Iron Man suit, where he wakes up in a small, snowy town with nothing but his battery dead suit.
In this town, we meet Harley, a young boy full of hopes and dreams despite being part of a broken family in the middle of nowhere. This part of the film is meant to symbolize a couple of things. First and most obviously, it is Tony’s first stop in trying to figure out what The Mandarin is really up to. But it also signifies the journey Tony is internally going on. The events leading up to this film have left him mentally scarred, and he is not the same person he once was. In many ways, he is broken. Now, he is without all of his technology: a broken man, with a broken suit.
Jumping onto this “broken” premise is the meat and potatoes of the plot. While Tony is figuring out the details of what is going on, the film reveals that Aldrich Killian teamed up with the woman Tony was with that night on Christmas Eve, developing the Extremis virus, which allowed people to heal quickly and regrow limbs, but also sometimes made them explode, hence the bombings around the world. Killian is part of the whole Mandarin scheme which is important for the reveal that made most fans loathe the film. But before that, you have this premise of a broken man with a broken armor fighting against another broken man who is using unsafe technology and science to be whole.
Then comes the reveal, which has to be mentioned even though it really only serves the purpose of being a comedic break from the drama: The Mandarin isn’t real. He is just an actor that is playing the part of a terrorist to distract the world from what Killian is up to. For many people, they cannot look past this; however, this does lead to a final reveal of the Vice President being complicit in everything and you get to see a young Jenna Ortega play his daughter, so… win?
But back to the GOOD part of the film.
After spending time with Harley, Tony finally starts to learn that this is all becoming too much for him and that his pushing away help from others has led him into this difficult position. Just like the Extremis virus, Tony using his temporary solution of ignoring the problem is leading to disastrous consequences for his mental health. As the final battle rolls around, Tony realizes that he set all these events into motion in the first place on that New Years Eve night. This leads to the dramatic final battle with all of the Iron Man suits flying in before Tony saves the day.
Then, Tony completes his character arc. He detonates all of his suits. He finally learns that he cannot tackle every problem alone and that he must work on himself before being Iron Man. He acknowledges that this is not the end, but that he created his own demons and thus has to be responsible for finding the solutions.
In many ways, Iron Man 3 is like the Spider-Man 4 that audiences are asking for. Following the high stakes, world ending events of The Avengers, Iron Man gets a retrospective of his life in a lower stakes, personal drama. For many at the time and even into today, it was an odd choice that was not what was advertised. But at the end of the day one thing is for certain… Iron Man 3 IS a Christmas Movie.
